car seat test?

tSquared1987

This is probably a stupid question...sorry for my lack of knowledge.

...what exactly is a "car seat test"? The NICU nurse told me to bring in the boys' carseats this week. they won't be coming home this week or anything, but just for whenever they eventually will be doing the car seat check, the seats will be there. I didn't want to feel like a complete idiot asking her, so i thought i'd ask you ladies

What exactly is it? What all do the boys need to do?

stephanie073

The baby has to sit in their car seat for the amount of time that you will spend driving home. At least that was how it was explained to me. Don't feel scared to ask her what it is. She's there to assist you as well as the boys

luvdv8

They put the LOs in the carseat (ours was for an hour despite living down the street) to make sure they don't struggle with breathing while sitting in the seat. The nurses will be there to help them pass as best they can (adding towels and supports) but it's necessary for them to pass so that you can take them home.

hmms

At our hospital, babies born before 36 weeks take the car seat test; they get strapped in and are hooked up to monitors for 60 min.  They monitor heart rate and oxygen levels in the sitting position.  DS failed, he rode in a car bed until my due date (approx 1 month), then he was retested and passed.  He didn't require a longer hospital stay because of this (he went home w/ me), he just couldn't ride in our car seat.  The hospital loaned us the car bed.

sandrarodz

They put them in the car seat for about an hour with all their leads still on to make sure they can breathe properly.  My son failed the first test and they tried it the next day and passed. I was extreamly nervous for them to try it again because I could not see why he would pass the second time if the day before he had failed.  The problem was that the first time they just put him in there by himself. The second time around they put nursing blankets folded up under him so that he was not so slouched over.  When I took them home any time I had to put them in the seat for a doctors appt I did the same thing.  Dont be afraid to ask questions!  Thats what the nurses are there for. I know I use to ask questions all the time and some times the same question to different nurses just so that I could see their different answers. They all do things differently which is why my son failed the first car seat test.